Now, amongst the multitudes of cameras I bought, sold then regretted was a very special camera – being the Fujifilm Professional GA645i. You’ve all probably read about this and have seen Youtube videos, or you own one and love it! But I’ll relay my experience with it nonetheless. I bought this camera as I had been a very long time Contax G2 user and from what I read, this seemed to be the closest MF format (6×4.5) camera to that.
Fujifilm. The name alone sparks feelings of adoration for some and rage from others. What about you? Does it make you think of Velvia? The X-series digital cameras? Maybe it makes you mourn the loss of your beloved Natura 1600 high speed color film, or 400H, or Velvia 100…, or, if you are like me, maybe you shed a tear at the mere mention of the deathblow they delivered to the pack film community: fp-3000b anyone? Maybe the name Fujifilm makes you think of nothing at all. That is fine, too. But the purpose of this article is to set our sights on a camera that has yet to be reviewed on this lovely site: the Fujifilm GF670.
In my early film photography years (about a decade ago) I tried a few cheap medium format cameras (I own both a Moskva and a Lubitel, as well as a couple of old Kodak folders) but nothing stuck. Too fiddly, not reliable enough, etc. Obviously that had nothing to do with medium format and everything to do with the choice of cameras I tried it on (and my skill at making something of them).
A decade later, I have a lot more experience with film and with rangefinders, and in the spring I decided to revisit the issue. To be honest, it wasn’t a fully informed and rational process but rather reading and finding out about the Fuji GW690iii, a rather underlooked and underloved camera, which has the welcome side-effect of making it rather more affordable than the more renowned Hasselblads, Mamiyas and Bronicas.
I bought my Fujica GS645 a couple of years ago, after I decided no medium format SLR or TLR would ever be small or light enough for me to feel like carrying with me day-to-day just in case I saw something worth shooting. I’ve since used it pretty regularly with C-41 and black and white film. I’ve shot mostly portraits, but also general street photography, travel and landscape stuff.
